Second Chance Animal Services Receives $150,000 Grant from ASPCA
EAST BROOKFIELD — Second Chance Animal Services has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to support the purchase of a new community support vehicle, a mobile veterinary unit that will expand access to care for pets and families who may otherwise face barriers to receiving veterinary services.
The grant will help Second Chance Animal Services fund this important capacity-building initiative, allowing veterinary teams to bring preventive and basic veterinary care directly into more communities, assisting pet owners, and supporting programs that help keep pets healthy, at home, and out of shelters. The mobile veterinary unit will extend the reach of Second Chance’s community programs, serving pets and families across the region.
“Access to veterinary care should never depend on a family’s ability to travel or overcome transportation barriers,” said Sheryl Blancato, CEO of Second Chance Animal Services. “We are incredibly grateful to the ASPCA for this generous investment. This community support vehicle will allow us to provide basic veterinary care on the road and connect pets needing more advanced treatment to our hospitals. Together, these services help keep pets healthy, with the families who love them, and out of shelters.”
For more than 16 years, Second Chance Animal Services has been meeting pets and families where they are through community outreach programs designed to remove barriers to veterinary care. The new mobile veterinary unit will build upon those efforts by tripling the capacity to bring clinics directly into underserved neighborhoods, assisting pet owners who may not be able to travel to veterinary hospitals, and supporting community-based programs that help prevent unnecessary pet surrender.
“Lack of access to affordable veterinary care is among the top reasons families are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to relinquish their pet to a shelter,” said Karen Walsh, ASPCA’s vice president of Animal Relocation. “The ASPCA is honored to provide Second Chance Animal Services with grant funding for a new mobile veterinary vehicle to expand their lifesaving work providing critical veterinary care to the community and helping to keep animals healthy and in loving homes.”
The vehicle will be on the road at low-cost vaccine clinics across the state. In addition, it will be instrumental in the nonprofit’s Homebound to the Rescue program which brings veterinary care at low or no cost to senior and low-income communities. By intervening early and providing resources before a crisis occurs, the organization can help keep pets healthy and safely in their homes.
The need for these services is evident in stories like those of seniors and individuals with disabilities who deeply love their pets but struggle to care for them. Through its community programs, Second Chance has helped pet owners access veterinary services that allowed them to keep beloved companions by their side. The new community support vehicle will make it possible to reach even more families with the support they need before difficult circumstances force them to consider surrendering a pet.